Saltiga Drag

[SeaBiscuit]

All above advise is good.
I fish saltigas almost exclusively and I generally go one season (less if I see problems) with stock drags. Carbontex at earliest service point. Carbontex washers have increased drag by about 10 % on my reels and are definitely smoother.
Problems with clickers and anti reverse are common for saltigas, so plan on keeping an eye on those.
With proper service and a little care, these reels perform better for jigging and bottomfsihing than any others I have fished.

SeaBiscuit

[KeepItReel]

SeaBiscuit,
How much drag are you typically using? To what extent have you had antireverse issues?

Thanks!

[SeaBiscuit]

SeaBiscuit,
How much drag are you typically using? To what extent have you had antireverse issues?

Thanks!

I fish the 30Ts, 40 and 50 at about 20 lbs of drag. With carbontex drag washers I can get between 22 and 25 lbs of drag with good freespool, but I don't like "locking" my drags down.
2 out of four of my saltigas (all less than 2 years old) have had antireverse problems.
I believe Alan Tani has addressed this on the reel forum previously. There just seems to be no star drag reel manufacturer who builds an antireverse that can take the abuse of setting the hook under heavy drag (bottom fishing for gags). The reels do a lot better in "jigging" applications where highsticking is not as prevalent as when trying to turn groupers on the bottom. Alan recommends lever drag reels for such applications, I just do not like fumbling with the lever drag while bottom fishing.
I hope this helps,
SeaBiscuit

[KeepItReel]

Thanks for the reply. I was trying to find the perfect lightweight reel for this application and I guess it doesn't really exist. I don't like the lever drags either for bottomfishing. If you have had that much trouble I wonder if they are really all that much better than the Saltist in that regard???

I fish the 30Ts, 40 and 50 at about 20 lbs of drag. With carbontex drag washers I can get between 22 and 25 lbs of drag with good freespool, but I don't like "locking" my drags down.
2 out of four of my saltigas (all less than 2 years old) have had antireverse problems.
I believe Alan Tani has addressed this on the reel forum previously. There just seems to be no star drag reel manufacturer who builds an antireverse that can take the abuse of setting the hook under heavy drag (bottom fishing for gags). The reels do a lot better in "jigging" applications where highsticking is not as prevalent as when trying to turn groupers on the bottom. Alan recommends lever drag reels for such applications, I just do not like fumbling with the lever drag while bottom fishing.
I hope this helps,
SeaBiscuit

[SeaBiscuit]

Thanks for the reply. I was trying to find the perfect lightweight reel for this application and I guess it doesn't really exist. I don't like the lever drags either for bottomfishing. If you have had that much trouble I wonder if they are really all that much better than the Saltist in that regard???

I did not say I had "much trouble", sorry if I gave that impression. I love the saltigas and I believe that the 30T is the best "small" conventional bottom fishing and jigging reel.
I have several saltists and like them a lot. I just like the saltigas a lot more! The saltists are not as smooth or powerful and like saltigas, have anti reverse issues and can benefit from carbontex drags, as well. The choice is yours: service a mid price reel annually and get mid price performance or service a top of the line reel annually and get excellent performance. In the long run the saltiga will outlive and outperform the saltist.

You are welcome to join me for a day's bottom fishing on the SeaBiscuit and try the daiwa reels side by side and see what you think.

Cheers,

Nick (SeaBiscuit)

[KeepItReel]

I see what you are saying. I may end up getting a saltiga and a saltist as a backup for that day when I'm 50 miles offshore and the antireverse fails. I would love to take you up on your offer one day. A new baby has got me inside the house a lot, but if you ever need another cranker on the boat give me a call. I live in Wilmington. We went out Friday south of the Nashville and got grouper skunked...first time in a long time. Water was 54-56 degrees. I stuck with the jigs all day and did get a good bite on a Roscoe jig.
George
619-5810